Humanism, Secularism, Feminism

Taslima Nasreen

Taslima Nasreen, an award-winning writer, physician, secular humanist and human rights activist, is known for her powerful writings on women oppression and unflinching criticism of religion, despite forced exile and multiple fatwas calling for her death. In India, Bangladesh and abroad, Nasreen’s fiction, nonfiction, poetry and memoir have topped the best-seller’s list.

Taslima Nasreen was born in Bangladesh. She started writing when she was 13. Her writings won the hearts of people across the border and she landed with the prestigious literary award Ananda from India in 1992. Taslima won The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 1994. She received the Kurt Tucholsky Award from Swedish PEN, the Simone de Beauvoir Award and Human Rights Award from Government of France, Le Prix de l' Edit de Nantes from the city of Nantes, France, Academy prize from the Royal Academy of arts, science and literature from Belgium. She is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy for Humanism,USA. She won Distinguished Humanist Award from International Humanist and Ethical Union, Free-thought Heroine award from Freedom From Religion foundation, USA., IBKA award, Germany,and Feminist Press Award, USA . She got the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh prize for Promotion of the Tolerance and Non-violence in 2005. She received the Medal of honor of Lyon. She got honorary citizenship from Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Metz, Thionville, Esch etc. Taslima was awarded the Condorcet-Aron Prize at the “Parliament of the French Community of Belgium” in Brussels and Ananda literary award again in 2000.

Bestowed with honorary doctorates from Gent University and UCL in Belgium, and American University of Paris and Paris Diderot University in France, she has addressed gatherings in major venues of the world like the European Parliament, National Assembly of France, Universities of Sorbonne, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, etc. She got fellowships as a research scholar at Harvard and New York Universities. She was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in the USA in 2009.

Taslima has written 35 books in Bengali, which includes poetry, essays, novels and autobiography series. Her works have been translated in thirty different languages. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh. Because of her thoughts and ideas she has been banned, blacklisted and banished from Bengal, both from Bangladesh and West Bengal part of India. She has been prevented by the authorities from returning to her country since 1994, and to West Bengal since 2007.

The University of Calicut is honoring with prizes, women who have secured superior achievements in diverse walks of life and have, alongside, fulfilled the responsibilities of motherhood in an exemplary fashion. Those who have made strides in areas such as social work, politics, government, sports, agriculture, industrial entrepreneurship, engineering, medicine, literature, art, research, law, police, banking, teaching at different levels will be considered for the Golden Mother Award. Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by others. The application form is available on the University website (www.universityofcalicut.info)

Details of achievements in different sectors, challenges faced, and awards won must provided. The Vice Chancellor Dr M. Abdulsalam said that the institution of the Golden Mother Award was rooted in the fact that a virtuous society can be created only through virtuous mothers. Applications may be sent to The Director,Centre for Women’s Studies, Calicut University PO 673635, before 15 November. (relevant phone numbers) PR2212/13.

Universities are supposed to enlighten students, but by creating golden mother award, it seems one of the universities is dragging its students towards the dark ages.

They must stop glorifying motherhood. Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids. Let women take total control of their own bodies. Let women decide what they want to do with their wombs. It does not need a brain to be a mother. It just needs sexual intercourse. Patriarchal society is making women’s life hell by forcing them to marry and be submissive, to be a child bearing machine, a sex object and a slave of men.

Mothering is a misogynistic term, it should be ‘parenting’. By giving importance to mothering, you ignore the roles of fathers. Parenting makes easier for a working mother and father to balance work and family. It needs a partnership that rejects traditional patriarchal models of motherhood. When the world is talking about planned parenthood, Calicut university is stuck with motherhood.

It’s not a university’s responsibility to encourage women to become mothers. University should encourage women to become dignified personalities, independent and respected human beings. It is totally women’s personal matter whether they want to reproduce. Like a conservative patriarchal guardian Calicut university crossed the university boundary and entered women’s private bedrooms. It is alarming.

Comments

Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids, but certainly liked to be fucked.

Patriarchal society should make women’s life heaven by allowing pre marital sex, not to marry and be dominant, not be a child bearing machine (but a fuck machine). How this could happen if Erections don’t see women as sex object (holes)?.

YEs man ,you have the Brain .I think she is a member of illumati .But she likes to fuck a man..ha.ha..Her mother also had no Brain…I Think you make your mother as a fool.
She likes the way of street dogs.
Street dogs are not educated , they also live like your style of life.They only fucked ,But they don’t use any condom

Dear Madam,
With due apologies, I think you have never had the feelings of a mother, and hence writing these stupidities. Come out of your present shell, talk to few peoples outside your normal network, then you will understand a different world is existing. I never felt like my relationship with my wife is purely for sex, she too never thought so. you are saying that for having a baby you don’t need brain but sex only. ok agree but the baby will be like yours ( I regret to type this). you talk to anybody outside your network, you will understand that sex is not enough. while in womb, there is thought process passing from mother to baby. if you have grandmother, please ask whether your thoughts are correct. she will vouch for me.

Dear Taslima,
While I do not agree or disagree with your Blog, your statement “It does not need a brain to be a mother” surprises me.
Brain is not required to get Pregnant, but a Brain is surely needed to be a good mother, through the Pregnancy and later on until the child is grown and able to take care of iself. This “brain” is what decides, to a very large extent, what the child will become, when grown. I don’t know about it in your case, but I strongly believe that my Mother’s brain played a very big role in my life!!!

You’re right about ‘Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids.’ Women are conditioned from childhood to become wives and mothers. I sometimes wonder how many of us would love to become a wife or mother, if this damaging programming is not followed. Maybe that’s what scares men most and they don’t want their ‘successful brain washing technique’ to die down easily. Who knows how long it will take them again to tame women to be their slaves. And why no one seems to tell men to be only husbands and fathers?

Patriarchy is a big barrier for the development of the human society. Education should have an aim to uproot this barrier. To achieve it Universities shall have to play the key role. But the culicut University is playing opposite role by glorifying motherhood. It’s a rubbish idea of the patriarchal society that we need virtuous mothers to make virtuous society. There is a rubbish proverb in Bengali like this – সংসার সুখের হয় রমণীর গুণে । It’s our shame that an University in our country bring up such a backdated and backward idea. We should condemn of it from every corner and raise our strong voice to stop humiliating the woman in the name of award.

You told this. “Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids. Let women decide what they want to do with their wombs. It does not need a brain to be a mother.”

Its not only your mistake, It is the problem where you born and brought up….
You never felt what is mother You only know what is sex not love especially mother’s love.. How can you say mother does not need brain..? Shame on you.

madam Thasleema Nasrin, am thankful to ur valuable opinion against calicut university VC ‘S NON SCENES policies.. dept of women studies is not try to make an action to women liberation,, they are (mainly HOD Dr Molly Kuruvila) trying to re produce the patriarchal social order,, VC chancellor trying demolish all democratic activities with in the campus,, he want cheap publicity,,

Dear madam,
There will be no country for a person who is not respecting the culture and values of that country.the people will turn against u… the same is happened to you. you are trying to get the sympathy being a women by the title “No country for woman”. Our country is the place where there women are been worshiped. that is why u have been sheltered here. So please don’t hurt the feelings of our country. We don’t expect comments like this again from you. .
thank you

“Our country is the place where there women are been worshiped” Really, do you walk with your eyes and ears open ? Woman being worshiped? Leave alone worship, are they even considered equals? Maybe men’s idea of worshiping women is by raping, attacking them with acids, marrying them off with huge dowry, sexually assaulting them, disrespecting them at the work place, depriving them of making choices in their own life and making them feel in all ways that to be born a woman is a curse. That’s the ‘worship’ attitude men have. There are only a few women who are privileged enough to be born into families who consider them a blessing.

It is quite normal to hear these words of frustration from someone who was driven out of her country which also happens to be one of the least hospitable places on earth. Now that India is tolerent about your erratic statements does not mean that you can go to any extent . Its certain that you have the least understanding about the ethos of the Indian state called kerala (where calicut university is located) or the level of emancipation of the women folk of the state. Don’t make irresponsible statements based on your experiences in Bangladesh.

if motherhood should not be gloried, please explain what else ion this world be glorified? Being a woman who is not a mother you will never understand greatness of mothers.
i respect your freedom to express your thoughts and opinion. But don’t u have minimum common sense?

Taslima madam,
I am very glad to meet u here. No need to say i am a muslim. Even it is a first interaction with u, I cud hear about u more and more before this. U know what is the matter urged me to open ur blog? a news in mathrubhumi malayalam daily pertaining to ur new statement.
I am compelled to think some abnormal thing. How can u say this like? Dear madam, sincerely I request u to try to interact with some families especially wives and husbands and know what they feel in their life, what they experienced in it. At the same time, u can interact with widows and ask their current status. They will compare soon after ur question the life in the presence of husband and absence.
Madam, I know u can understand and hear all. In the meantime, u r not ready swallow all things u hear. its ok.

Considering the first element, let me say one more thing.
I think u are very sorry of the lack of couple life, i mean married life or u cudn’t understand the key point of marriage and engagement.

A matter should not be evaluated by looking to a limited numbers. I mean, there are more problems between huzbands and wives as v read in the newspapers daily.
But, there are number of families enjoying the family life……
I am ashamed of saying this. If they (satisfied people) read ur statement in ur blog or paper, won’t they think about u, bad one or frog inside the well?

U know, which is the majority, satisfied people with family life or dissatisfied?

then,”” ___Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids. Let women take total control of their own bodies. Let women decide what they want to do with their wombs. It does not need a brain to be a mother. It just needs sexual intercourse. Patriarchal society is making women’s life a hell by forcing them not to have pre marital sex, to marry and be submissive, be a child bearing machine, a sex object and a slave of men.____ “” Isn’t there educated mothers? An educated mother can give birth for an educated one. A stupid lady or man (this is not discrimination) unfortunately gives birth for something unexpectable.

u mind it seriously, as ABDULLAH told it previosly, u also have a mother. u cannot write these all if u dont have a mother. u cannot be a atheist or antisocial if u dont have a mother.

still if u stand on ur opinion, UR MOTHER HAVE MADE A BIG SIN. U should have treat ur mother for engaging with a man and ur father for opting this BAD THING. Madam, A sexual intercourse happened 51 years ago dated October, 1961 produced u on 25 August 1962 at Mymensingh, East Pakistan.

U please dare to kick on the buttock of ur parent.
U know? why the wife of Prince William, Kate Middleton became ready for delivery of baby? y she opted NATURAL BIRTH? search it out all.

Madam, try to catch the genuine knowledge. Don’t be narrow minded. Let it be broad. don’t be obstinate on ur opinion. it s not good to say I am only OK.

@ Taslima – now, along with patriarchal supremacy you have also now hit the feminine slavery. Patriarchal supremacy also exists because slavery has entered the dna of qualified women. As long as it is made of gold women are ready to accept even if it is chaining them. ( gold is an example ). It will take more time for qualified women to come out of the womanhood education drilled into them since generations from their own families. In India, women going to school at large without a social ( patriarchal ) objection is just two generations old. Women going to office to earn without a social ( patriarchal ) objection is just one generation old. Still MUCH of the population do not encourage women education ( also for poverty ) and many working woman LEAVES job AFTER marriage. This is the thruth, yes at 2013 ending.
Likewise, the obsessions of motherhood continues to be related as a woman’s identity. It is the educated who want the woman to become a mother to be a complete woman they do not consider intelligence, qualification, or ability to be enough.

Motherhood – it is time to understand clearly, not ALL mothers are loving and respectable. Simple example which we all can understand. Look at the women prisoners across the globe. They are prisoned for ALL kinds of crime possible by a man, except rape. Majority of these prisoners are mothers. Surely they are NOT to be respected, for only being mothers. Outside the jail, there are so many divorce filed by women to extort money from husbands, they are also mothers to some. Definitely NOT respected. There are women brothel owners forcing innocent women into prostitution. Many of them are mothers. Definitely NOT respected. Women, even today, murders for birth of girl child of their daughter in law. Naturally these mother in laws are also mothers. Definitely NOT respected. I can just continue on and on. I repeat these mothers are all OUTSIDE jails. These women have become mothers through sex but did not carry on the responsibility of motherhood.

Motherhood – But yes there are unconditional loving mothers as well, and across the globe. It will be one more crime to generalize being a mother and protect the first category behind the second category.

It is easy to fool the learned than to convince the learned that they are being fooled.
Great article Taslima. Kudos.

Hi Madam,
The society demand woman’s sacrifices for its stability. After use thrown away her as curry leaf. Then she alive as a slave. It isn’t allow her to live with freedom and glorify motherhood. society intolerance about woman’s brain,and personality.

Teslima madam,
I am very glad to meet u here. No need to say i am a muslim. Even it is a first interaction with u, I cud hear about u more and more before this. U know what is the matter urged me to open ur blog? a news in mathrubhumi malayalam daily pertaining to ur new statement.
I am compelled to think some abnormal thing. How can u say this like? Dear madam, sincerely I request u to try to interact with some families especially wives and husbands and know what they feel in their life, what they experienced in it. At the same time, u can interact with widows and ask their current status. They will compare soon after ur question the life in the presence of husband and absence.
Madam, I know u can understand and hear all. In the meantime, u r not ready swallow all things u hear. its ok.

Considering the first element, let me say one more thing.
I think u are very sorry of the lack of couple life, i mean married life or u cudn’t understand the key point of marriage and engagement.

A matter should not be evaluated by looking to a limited numbers. I mean, there are more problems between huzbands and wives as v read in the newspapers daily.
But, there are number of families enjoying the family life……
I am ashamed of saying this. If they (satisfied people) read ur statement in ur blog or paper, won’t they think about u, bad one or frog inside the well?

U know, which is the majority, satisfied people with family life or dissatisfied?

then,”” ___Educated, independent and intelligent women might not like to marry and have kids. Let women take total control of their own bodies. Let women decide what they want to do with their wombs. It does not need a brain to be a mother. It just needs sexual intercourse. Patriarchal society is making women’s life a hell by forcing them not to have pre marital sex, to marry and be submissive, be a child bearing machine, a sex object and a slave of men.____ “” Isn’t there educated mothers? An educated mother can give birth for an educated one. A stupid lady or man (this is not discrimination) unfortunately gives birth for something unexpectable.

u mind it seriously, as ABDULLAH told it previosly, u also have a mother. u cannot write these all if u dont have a mother. u cannot be a atheist or antisocial if u dont have a mother.

still if u stand on ur opinion, UR MOTHER HAVE MADE A BIG SIN. U should have treat ur mother for engaging with a man and ur father for opting this BAD THING. Madam, A sexual intercourse happened 51 years ago dated October, 1961 produced u on 25 August 1962 at Mymensingh, East Pakistan.

U please dare to kick on the buttock of ur parent.
U know? why the wife of Prince William, Kate Middleton became ready for delivery of baby? y she opted NATURAL BIRTH? search it out all.

Madam, try to catch the genuine knowledge. Don’t be narrow minded. Let it be broad. don’t be obstinate on ur opinion. it s not good to say I am only OK.

its deeply sympathetic and depressive towards those who glorified the motherhood/ the womanhood has come up with such insulting phrases,what right they got to speak for woman then??..what is ironical is the university that failed to respect its women students to provide the basic security,which had pushed its women students to strike the whole night(perhaps historical in India) and the consequent arrests of its women participants; where every girl is humiliated for rejecting her granted rights for security, to feel safe inside the hostel,the campus.I painfully remember how traumatized were we, the hostel inmates on ‘no’ internal security,no healthy food,no academic workspace.Total disgrace for the women folk .Its sarcastic to know the same university is now introducing the award.. Taslima i support your status and happy for your immediate response.

while i agree with the statement made above that it is glorifying motherhood , it is also true that the vc of calicut university is trying to get some publicity to which you have knowingly or unknowingly added to the contoversy . having said that how is this an example of male pastriarchy one fails to understand .you deride bhai phonta because it treats women as submissive but when one glorifies women as in this case which is just the opposite how is it male patriarchy i fail to understand .

another point is that everyone has a mother but not everyone has a father.. ideally perhaps the university should have had a award for golden father

.There is a lot of women in great position they were married and have chidren.Like Indira gandi..she is a powerful educated woman she had chidren..Also former chief justice Fatima beevi..You think you are above all these women..and you have only brain…

All the supporters of good motherhood here are also good abusers. They have documented their taste.

Are the mothers also supporting such abuse ?

Mothers and non-mothers both have biological brains. As a routine, a capable male and a capable female need to make sex to produce a child. Brain does not help to produce a child.

Brain produced a new award ‘golden mother award’ in the University.
Brain produced male supremacy and female slavery, and continues to maintain it.
Lot of Brains have risen above abuses and prepared to kill Taslima.
Lot of Brains are silent to this threat ‘fatwa’ and dare not abuse the killers.
Brain feels safe to abuse a doctor, author and an unarmed Taslima.

Taslima has Brains to defy the ‘most powerful’ (?) element of the stupids named ‘god’ (?)

This is what happens when one learns higher Biology in internet, skipping class 6 Biology book.
All of who went to class 6 knows that there are many Nerve Cells travelling from ALL places of the body to the brain which allows it to asses what is going on in the body and control what needs controlling. Hence the whole body and its actions are controlled by the biological brain.

It is the prerogative of the individual to only keep his / her whole brain into uterus functions of the brain.

ok man u won..You won 6th std with distinction But you agrees with brain coordinate fuctions of various organs in our body.Then how how could you say brain doenot help..help to produce a child.You have no common sense and don’t know about endocrine system in our body. I Studied it in the 8th.You just passed std 6 th with distinction HA..HA…LOL

She have only existence when she get sympathy from others .So she added her profile she had multiple fatwas.Now ..you canot get any sympathy from keralite mothers.Please apologies to good mothers in kerala..

I am clear, I do not want to respect criminals, in Kerala or anywhere, even if they are someones mother.
I do not abuse, I do not need to apologies at all to good people.

Learned people generally avoid communicating with abusive individuals. I am not learned and hence continue to communicate even with worse individuals than you. I do this to expose all the dirt the individual carries within in public. People will decide what to do with dirty individuals.

I choose the word ‘individuals’ in cases when an individual looks the same as any other homo sapiens, but is not actually a human.

“Learned people generally avoid communicating with abusive individuals. I am not learned and hence continue to communicate even with worse individuals than you. I do this to expose all the dirt the individual carries within in public. People will decide what to do with dirty individuals. ”

The only abusive word that touched me a bit was that you used the word ‘saint’ to describe me. You have NO clue how sexual perverts the saints (?) are, especially the hindu ones. Oh ! ho ! One taller than the other.

I don’t hate you still. Because I am a rationalist, an atheist.
I hate religion that has turned human to abusive individuals like you. Somewhere religion has still not been able to destroy you completely, so later you said, ‘sorry ‘. There is still a chance in you not to become a taliban.

How ? In return to what all abuse you used against me, I have a simple suggestion – Don’t read what Taslima writes, just read the religious book YOU belong to. ( any of them infact ) You will find that they are far more vulgar than you. Then choose your religion.

My job is done in the first paragraph of this post. Hope to interact with a new you in some other post.

WTF is this ??..I Dont ask you to about religion .you are a mad person .I dont care these stuff..in her caption she need a separate country for women..Only lesibians lived their ..no normal minded women lived thier..WHat a person is this ??? Is she is your motto..man go to hell and F**k yourself

To be a mother, a man is not required, not even a womb is required. It just need a divine soul. Motherhood is not physical. By simply giving birth nobody will become a mother. Any woman can be a mother provided that there is someone to feel her as a mother or someone whom she feel as her child. “Mother is a verb, not a noun”.

This post is a good example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Just because at some times and places women were forced to have more children than they wanted to, you try to turn childlessness into a virtue and put down mothers. Sort of like abortion activists who, though rightly criticizing those opposed to abortion for any reason, start touting having an abortion as the mark of a true feminist.

Thaslima has every right to express her opinions. There is no absolute right and wrong. All these are highly abstract. To take her words from the context and give them interpretations is not desirable. Why such hue and cry on her words? Everyone can have their own opinions. To mix them with emotions will lead to misunderstanding.

The University of Calicut is honoring with prizes, women who have secured superior achievements in diverse walks of life and have, alongside, fulfilled the responsibilities of motherhood in an exemplary fashion.

In other words, they’re taking women who have done a wide variety of good and awe-inspiring things…and only rewarding them for being mothers at the same time as they did all that other stuff they pretend to care about but aren’t actually rewarding.

What about women who do similar awesome things but never had any kids? Do they get any recognition at Calicut?

Excellent writing, Ms. Nasreen. The victims of the religious (esp. the Dharmic -Hindu, Buddhist types) -backed cult of the ‘Golden mother’ certainly deserve better. It has not only undermined women, particularly Indian and Sri Lankan women, but also raises men with crippled minds (i.e. arrested personality development and self-esteem) thus perpetuating social dysfunction.

How do you view Sachin Tendulkar who dedicated his Bharat Ratna to all mothers who took pain to groom their kids?
Why didn’t he dedicate the coveted award conferred on him to all women of the world?
Just visualize the linkage —– Boost Ad aand Sachin,, Boost Ad and mother…
Was Sachin glorifying motherhood taking charge of the traditional role of a mother – feeding ‘Boost’ to kids- thru his product endorsement in Boost ads?
Or was he subjected to be a symbol of patriarchal patron of commercialized motherhood in India?